CMOS

[trancexx]

So, you want to read your CMOS. There are two ways. Use driver or use VDM - this time I'm not wrong.

porttalk.sys is one of the drivers written for those purposes (and more).

In attached zip there are both AutoIt script to control the driver and a driver itself.

Information about that driver can be found at beyondlogic <- that's a link, follow it.

So, the script is demonstrating installing driver with all necessary steps to make it working, controlling the driver, shutting it down and deinstalling it.

Also while the driver is functional I will use it to read the whole CMOS. And will also extract time data out of it.

The way I'm reading I could also write to CMOS. I'm not doing that and not posting it either, for obvious reasons.

PORTTALK -AutoIt CMOS.zip

All you have to do is extract folder out of that zip and run DriverScript.au3.

[AdmiralAlkex]

This doesn't work on Win7 x64, right?

Edit: Yep, fails with _OpenDriver @error=1

Edit2: Would it work under x86 or is it NT 4/5 only?

Edited December 15, 2009 by AdmiralAlkex

[gcue]

trancex you never cease to amaze us!

can you demonstrate other fields we can read? id like to be able to see if the pc is wake-on-lan enabled.

i realize there are many different manufacturers and even different models within manufacturers.. but this could be useful!

enabling it would be even nicer!

thanks again.

[Proph]

I just tried it on WIN7 x86 and it is successful. But all I get is a bunch of Letters and Numbers.

I'm using a DV9000 series HP Laptop.

[trancexx]

This doesn't work on Win7 x64, right?

Edit: Yep, fails with _OpenDriver @error=1

Edit2: Would it work under x86 or is it NT 4/5 only?

porttalk.sys is 32-bit driver. I don't know if x64 system(s) can make use of 32bit drivers.

But should work on all x86 windows.

@gcue, thanks and I really don't know the meaning of all the fields. There is a lots of data available there. But one thing is sure - if you can read it, you can change it too. Just have to find it.

[trancexx]

I just tried it on WIN7 x86 and it is successful. But all I get is a bunch of Letters and Numbers.

I'm using a DV9000 series HP Laptop.

And you were expecting?

[Proph]

A bunch of Jelly beans and 3 White furry rabbits.

[Anteaus]

And you were expecting?

Nope. As an XY that's not my department.

Seriously, I've a laptop on which fitting a mini-PCI WiFi card causes Wake-on-Lan problems (Basically it can't be put into standby with the card fitted) and the CMOS screen has no option to turn WOL off. If this driver might provide a way to turn off WOL it would be very handy.

[trancexx]

Nope. As an XY that's not my department.

Seriously, I've a laptop on which fitting a mini-PCI WiFi card causes Wake-on-Lan problems (Basically it can't be put into standby with the card fitted) and the CMOS screen has no option to turn WOL off. If this driver might provide a way to turn off WOL it would be very handy.

That driver is only an arbiter. For example when I read port 112 it will see that and will do it for me and give me the read value (read by it).

If WoL is enabled or disabled in CMOS then yes, you can write a new value to it, thus changing the setting.

[AdmiralAlkex]

Nope. As an XY that's not my department.

Seriously, I've a laptop on which fitting a mini-PCI WiFi card causes Wake-on-Lan problems (Basically it can't be put into standby with the card fitted) and the CMOS screen has no option to turn WOL off. If this driver might provide a way to turn off WOL it would be very handy.

Have you tried to disable "Allow this device to wake the computer" on that device from "Device Manager"? I think that should be enough.

[trancexx]

Check this one out. IMHO something incredibly cool.

Beeping using I/O ports. It's like Beep() function but works without windows' beep driver. That means it works always, even if the beep driver is disabled.

Based on this and this. And probably the best explanation here (must read).

Sorry for the zip but I'm very low on space here.

DriverBeep.zip

What's really cool? You can beep lower and higher frequencies than with Beep().

Anyone not being able to try it misses a lot

Edited December 22, 2009 by trancexx

[Anteaus]

Have you tried to disable "Allow this device to wake the computer" on that device from "Device Manager"? I think that should be enough.

The problem is a hardware/BIOS one. If the card is installed, it immediately countermands any soft shutdown/standby instruction issued. By its nature there is nothing the OS can do about this. (Problem exists with Linux and DOS too) I suspect there is probably a CMOS register to disable WoL, but the manufacturer in their infinite wisdom chose not to make it a user option.

Anyway this isn't a help forum so maybe I shouldn't go any further off-topic.